MADISON, Wis. - Gov. Scott Walker has conceded defeat to Democrat Tony Evers.
Walker says he called Evers on Wednesday to concede defeat. The two-term Republican incumbent had held off conceding because the race was so close.
Walker had expressed concern about 2,000 absentee ballots in Milwaukee that had been reconstructed due to errors or damage. But Walker's campaign says in a statement that it determined there weren't enough votes in question to change the outcome of the race.
Based on unofficial results, Evers won by about 31,000 votes.
Walker says in a statement that he offered the full support of his staff and Cabinet to Evers as he begins the transition.
With the win of Evers, Wisconsin has a Democratic governor. This is an outcome that UW River Falls professor Neil Kraus does not find surprising.
"The state's been you know, kind of purple for a while now," Kraus said. "Even though he's become kind of a leading conservative nationally, he's really not. That's the interesting thing about Walker -- he's really not indicative of the politics of the state."
Kraus also said he expected the margin to be as slim as it turned out to be. However, Evers' lead of 1.17 percent ended up not being slim enough for a recount. Scott Walker and Wisconsin's Republicans tightened the recount rules in 2016, making it so that only a candidate who is losing by one percent or less can demand a recount.
Kraus added that he suspects Evers' focus on education and health care resonated deeply with Wisconsinites.
"Education and health care I think were the two main issues that put him over the top," Kraus said. "He seems to be the kind of candidate and governor, where he's trying to make connections to other constituencies that maybe didn't support him."
In River Falls the day after Election Day, both Evers and Walker supporters chimed in on the need for unity.
"We get back to getting things done and realizing that we're all in this boat together," Tom Bentz said.
"We're still united, we're still a great country," Jewels Niccum said. "I hope we can continue to work more than well, better than ever in the future together."
Evers is slated to be sworn into office Jan. 7.